


Be My Guest

by TheHyperWriter



Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Gen, Inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula, Koga and Sha Lin are implied to be friends, Koga does not physically appear in this story, Sha Lin Writes Diary Entries, Short One Shot, Tags Are Hard, Vampire!Zhin, Vampires, Zhin Is A Terrifying Creature Of The Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-18 20:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18126374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHyperWriter/pseuds/TheHyperWriter
Summary: Sha Lin, a traveler, seeks shelter in a castle he finds in a desolate forest, hoping for a warm meal and a bed to rest in for the night. He is invited in by the castle's lone occupant, a man by the name of Lord Zhin and stays the night.But when he experiences nightmarish horrors, Sha Lin realizes that things aren't always what they seem.And that Lord Zhin may be something else... Something that is not human.





	Be My Guest

Sha Lin raced through the forest and brought his horse to a canter. The moon shone through the canopy of dark trees, casting pale patches of silver light on the forest floor. His horse, a handsome gray dappled steed, thundered through the trees, snorting and champing on the bit.

  
Sha Lin squinted at the dark trees surrounding him, hoping to find a way out of this eerie forest. He was tired and needed to find a place to stay for the night. But there was no trace of civilisation in sight. No towns, no villages… there was only him and his horse.

  
Fuelled by desperation, he urged his horse on and sped up again, galloping deeper into the woods.

* * *

  
_12 February 1842_

  
_It has been awhile since I’ve heard from Koga. I didn’t expect a letter written in his hand asking to come and visit! The journey to his countryside home will take awhile. Probably will need a few days to travel there._  
_From his letter, I’m glad he’s happy and well._

  
_I’ll write back to tell him I’m coming._

* * *

  
After what felt like hours of wandering through the forest, Sha Lin finally saw a break in the thick tangle of trees. He tore through the foliage, spurring his horse forward. With the rustling of leaves and the pound of horseshoes on the dirt, Sha Lin burst through the underbrush. His steed neighed and tossed its head as he yanked on the reins. He stared out to the clearing before him and his eyes widened.

  
Looming in front of him was a large stone castle, shrouded in thick fog with a single spire rising above the tallest trees. It looked desolate, abandoned and lonely. But it was a shelter nonetheless. He rammed the heels of his boots into his horse’s flanks and set off towards the dreary structure.

  
It wasn’t long before the front gates of the castle came into his line of sight. To his surprise, the wrought iron gates were not locked and bolted. He dismounted and pushed the heavy gate open. It screeched on its hinges, shattering the ominous silence of the night. Leading his horse by the reins, he strolled into the castle courtyard. His horse whinnied nervously. It seemed to be very uncomfortable in this place.

  
Sha Lin sighed, his breath turning to mist in the chilly midnight air,

  
“Come on, boy. We can rest somewhere warm later.”

  
He wandered around the desolate courtyard, searching for any signs of life. But there was nothing but fog and cold stone. His search led him to the castle’s front door. A single lantern burned beside it, casting a warm yellow glow on the dark wooden door.  
“Oh! Someone does live here after all…!” Sha Lin murmured. He reached for the iron knocker set into the wood and knocked.

  
_Once._

  
_Twice._

  
The door swung open and a man clad in a red tailcoat stared back at him. His greyish black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and a lit candle was in his hand.

  
“Ah! A guest? At this time of the night?” He remarked, raising both eyebrows.

  
“I’m so sorry to disturb you at this time, sir. But do you happen to have any rooms to spare for me to stay in for tonight?” Sha Lin said, clenching his fists around his horse’s reins.

  
“Yes, I do.” The man replied, “Please come in. Leave your horse outside!”

  
Before he could do anything else, he stopped him with a cry, “Wait! Could you provide my horse with water as well? We’ve been riding since noon!”

  
“Very well.” The man said calmly, stepping out of the doorway and breezing past him, “Come! The stables are this way!”

  
Sha Lin was silent, stunned at how patient this man was with his demands. Not wanting to keep his host waiting, he shrugged and followed him, gently leading his horse beside him.

* * *

  
“So, is this good enough for you?”

  
Sha Lin looked around the small bedroom. It was fairly big for a guest room. Nothing he couldn’t handle. “Yes. Thank you!” He smiled at his host, “By the way, how do I address you?”

  
“I am Lord Zhin.” His host said, briefly returning his smile, “But you may call me Zhin.”

  
Sha Lin could’ve sworn he saw unnaturally sharp teeth in Zhin’s mouth when he smiled. But he shook his head, dismissing it as nothing other than a trick of the dim lighting.

* * *

  
_15 February 1842_

  
_Lord Zhin seems nice. Who knew that there would be someone living in this place? It looks old and run down. On the way to my room earlier, we passed through an old ballroom. There were cobwebs on the chandeliers. No one seems to have cleaned it in awhile._

  
_Well, it does make sense. Since he is the only person living here._

  
_Doesn’t it get lonely? Living here all alone by yourself? I wonder how come there’s no one else living with him?_  
_Just to add on, my horse, Mirage is terrified of him! He doesn’t like it when Zhin goes near him and almost kicked him in the head. Is he just intimidating? Mirage is never scared of other people!_

  
_Why all of a sudden?_

* * *

  
Sha Lin awoke with a gasp and groggily opened his eyes. He had only slept for a few hours. A muffled clap of thunder and the patter of rain filled his ears. He threw the covers off and slipped out of bed. Heading to the window, he drew the heavy curtains and gazed out at the fierce storm. A tree growing in front of his window swayed violently in the screaming wind, being battered by the rain.

Amidst the rain and wind, a dark figure stood on a large tree branch. Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the castle’s gardens outside and illuminating the figure.

  
It was Lord Zhin. He was cradling the body of a small, fair haired boy. The boy was bleeding profusely from a wound on his neck and his skin was pale. And to Sha Lin’s disgust and horror, Zhin was drinking the blood straight from the child’s body! Sha Lin reeled back, his heart racing and immediately reached to draw the curtains before he would see him. But it was too late.

  
Zhin’s head snapped up from his prey and stared straight at him, his glare binding him still. His mouth was smeared with blood and his eyes were a deep red.  
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and let out a inhuman shriek, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs. In a swirl of smoke, he turned into a small bat and flew away into the night, leaving the boy’s lifeless corpse hanging from the branch.

  
Sha Lin drew the curtains and sunk to the floor, unable to comprehend the horrors he had just seen. Zhin wasn’t human at all. He was a vampiric bloodsucker of legend. He put his head in his hands and wept at the sudden realisation that he might die tonight.

  
Escaping was his only hope.

  
With renewed zeal, he stood up unsteadily and ran to the door. Fumbling with the lock, he flung the door open and sprinted down the dark hallway, groping his way around in the dark and tripping over unseen objects in his hurry. In moments, he had retraced his steps and found himself at the front door. He yanked on the doorknob but the door didn’t budge. It was locked.

  
“Trying to escape?”

  
Sha Lin whirled around and saw Zhin standing at the end of the hallway behind him, his irises flaming red.

  
“Friend Sha Lin, don’t you want to see better in the dark?” 

  
He made a gesture and the torches on the walls lit aflame, bathing the long hallway in light. Zhin looked very different. He was deathly pale and his hair was now a shiny black. He looked stronger and more youthful, unlike the aging man Sha Lin had met before.

  
“I am afraid you will never see the light of day again, Sha Lin.” Zhin grinned, baring his fangs, “I do not like prey that run away… and I am very hungry tonight.” He advanced swiftly and menacingly towards Sha Lin, who stood frozen in fear. With that, he snarled and lunged towards him.

  
Sha Lin screamed.

* * *

  
_Dear Sha Lin,_  
_Where are you? I haven’t seen you in the past month. You wrote saying you would come to visit but you never did. Is something wrong? Did something happen? Please write back._

  
_Yours Truly,_  
_Koga_


End file.
